Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
14-16, 7-11
Washington State
13-17, 7-11
Buffs Squander Late Opportunity, Lose 96-91 In OT
March 07, 2015 | Men's Basketball, B.G. Brooks
PULLMAN, Wash. – The Colorado Buffaloes faltered on an in-bounds play in the final 8.6 seconds here Saturday, were forced to go into overtime and exited the extra period with a frustrating 96-91 loss to Washington State.
The defeat dropped the Buffs (14-16, 7-11) into the No. 10 seed for next week's Pac-12 Conference Tournament in Las Vegas. They play No. 7 seed Oregon State on Wednesday, with the winner facing No. 2 seed Oregon on Thursday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Leading 77-75 and gaining possession on a WSU turnover, the Buffs botched their in-bounds play when Askia Booker was tied up with 8.6 seconds left, giving the Cougars the ball and another chance to win or tie – which DeVonte Lacy's short jumper did at 77-77. But CU fell behind by six points in the OT and never caught up.
"We wanted to get the ball in 'Ski's' hands, obviously he's our best free throw shooter and they made the play there and we didn't," CU coach Tad Boyle said of the costly tie-up when Booker was double-teamed near the corner in front of the WSU bench. "The possession arrow went against us. I've never liked the possession arrow; I sure as hell don't like it today. I just think it lets the referees off the hook, let's toss it up like they used to and see who gets the ball like the NBA does.
"That's not the way the game is and you just have to take it and move on. Really disappointed, though, I told our team, their passion their fight, their desire. The last three games we've stepped on the court and we've been ready to play. But we just weren't good enough tonight, defensively. You score 91 points and you're supposed to win those games. We gave this one away."
Still, Boyle credited the Cougars and said Lacy "played like a senior and hit big shots. They come out in overtime and hit those two threes between (Dexter) Kernich-Drew and Lacy and you know they made shots and we got behind. They made their free throws down the stretch (9-of-10 in the final 51.6 seconds of OT). I thought we managed the game well. You need them to miss free throws down the stretch. I thought our guys competed and played with energy and played with passion."
The defeat darkened a stellar afternoon for Josh Scott, who scored a career-high 32 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season and the 20th of his career. In two games in the Pacific Northwest, Scott totaled 53 points and 21 boards. Booker added 26 for the Buffs and was the only other CU player in double figures.
Each team shot 51 percent from the field, and WSU (13-17, 7-11) had six players in double figures, with Josh Hawkinson's 21 points – 18 in the first half – topping that list and helping the Cougars break a two-game losing streak. They had lost four of their last five before Saturday.
The Buffs outrebounded the Cougars 40-30 and had 52 points in the paint to the home team's 36. WSU shared the ball better, recording 18 assists to CU's eight. The turnover column wasn't heavily weighted to one side; the Buffs committed 14, the Cougars 11 – and CU scored three more points – 17-14 – off of WSU's errors.
But the final number in OT counted the most; CU's 16 losses are the most since the 2009-10 season. And its 11 conference losses are the most since 2008-09 (1-15 in the Big 12). The Buffs, who won 64-47 on Thursday night at Washington, finished the regular season 2-10 in road play.
Not much defense was played in the first half, with the Buffs playing a little less than the Cougars. Trailing 45-38 at halftime, CU allowed WSU to hit 14 of its final 15 first-half shots and go to its locker room shooting 61 percent (23-of-30) from the field. The Buffs, meanwhile, shot 50 percent (16-of-32).
The Cougars' first-half point total and shooting percentage were the highest allowed by the Buffs this season, and their biggest defensive problem was slowing the 6-10 Hawkinson, who finished the half with an 18 points on 9-of-10 shooting. His total also was a first-half high for a CU opponent, and he scored from nearly conceivable angle inside the paint, just outside the key and in transition. The Buffs looked lost trying to defend him.
For the same reasons, the Cougars were having trouble with Scott, who hit seven of his 13 first-half shots and led the Buffs with 15 points. Booker added 11 of his total in the first 20 minutes, but after hitting a pair of 3-pointers to start the game Tre'Shaun Fletcher finished the half with those six points.
Wesley Gordon scored his first field goal in four games, after taking only one shot and scoring one point in the past three. He finished with five points on two-of-three from the field and had seven rebounds.
Getting a conventional three-point play from Dexter Kernich-Drew to open the second half, the Cougars matched their largest first-half lead – nine points – before the Buffs got consecutive three-point plays from Scott, Dom Collier and Xavier Johnson to pull to within 52-48.
And when Scott scored inside on back-to-back possessions, CU closed to within 57-54 with 13:30 to play. To that point, the Buffs had clamped down on Hawkinson; he didn't have a shot attempt. But the Cougars got their points from other sources – namely Ike Iroegbu, who by the half's midway point had 15 points and eight assists. His final totals: 18 points, 11 assists.
Still, CU was hanging close. At the 7:50 mark the Buffs were gaining some confidence offensively, with Booker scoring seven of his team's 10 points and pulling CU to 67-65 with 7:20 left. Less than two minutes later, an "XJ" layup brought the Buffs to 72-71, and a Booker layup with 4:30 left gave them their first lead – 73-72 – since 19-17.
That lay-in gave Booker 22 points and completed a 14-3 CU run.
Hawkinson got his first points of the second half, hitting one of two free throws to tie the game at 73-73. A goal tending call on Gordon less than a minute later gave WSU a 75-73 lead and prompted a CU timeout with 1:31 remaining.
Out of the timeout, a Booker layup tied it at 75-75, and it was the Cougars' turn to talk it over at the 57.4 second mark. The Buffs needed a stop and got it when Gordon blocked Lacy's layup attempt. After another timeout, CU had 41.7 seconds to go ahead.
They did – 77-75 – on Scott's baseline jumper, and they got another vital stop on an Iroegbu layup attempt. He wound up with his own rebound, but officials reviewed the play and judged he was not fully on the court at the baseline – and the Buffs had possession.
Disaster awaited. The in-bounds pass went to Booker, who was tied up with 8.6 seconds left, giving the Cougars possession and a second chance. Lacy's jumper in the lane tied the game at 77-77.
Overtime came next – along with a sinking feeling for the Buffs after the Cougars opened the OT with back-to-treys from Kernich-Drew and Lacy, who each finished with 17 points. CU cut its deficit to two points – 85-83 – on a steal and layup by Xavier Talton with 1:20 remaining, then closed to within three on three occasions in the final minute.
But the Buffs got no closer.
